Diet ice cream? Why bother? That’s what Lifescript staffers thought too. But if dietary restrictions keep you from chowing down on the real deal, “healthier” ice cream may be your only choice. Find out which brands made the grade in our diet ice cream taste test…

Does low-fat, fat-free, no-sugar ice cream sound like a big scoop of blah? Sure, it does. But if diabetes, heart disease or other conditions prevent you from eating the real thing, don't give up. You can have your “light” ice cream and eat it too.

How do you know which brand will satisfy your sweet tooth? Fourteen Lifescript staffers tested five brands and eight flavors. Each was judged on its texture (creamy, thick, thin), taste (rich, sweet, bland) and aftertaste. None got straight As in our unscientific taste test, but a few came close. (Some also had stimulating effects on our digestive tracts.)

“There are too many things going on in my mouth at the same time,” said one baffled tester.

Another “couldn’t distinguish the separate flavors.”

But one person could: “The chocolate is bitter, but the strawberry is good.”

It wasn’t just the flavor that failed to please: An unpleasant aftertaste and a “cardboard-like” texture added to their aversion.

The good news for those who licked their Dixie cups clean? Its healthy profile. A half cup contains only 90 calories, 3 grams of fat and 4 grams of sugar, among the best nutritional values on our list.

That still didn’t fool one tester: “It was good, but I could tell it was diet ice cream.”

Our tasters had a love-hate relationship with this one. What set them off?

Quite a few people dug the richness of this ice cream (“very mousse-like and decadent”) and found the brownie bits tasty. “Very creamy and delicious – what a treat!” exclaimed one. Most found this “terrific as a substitute for unhealthier ice creams.”

But there were a few dissenters. One had an issue with the “weird, chewy things” (translation: the chocolate fudge brownie chunks). Another person thought it was “too rich and too sweet.”

It’s also worth noting that one said, “It was good but the texture seemed sticky, almost like Silly Putty.”

You have to hand to Breyers, which achieved such decadence with 0 grams of fat (thank the “double churn” process, which significantly reduces fat globule size, the company says.)

This yogurt blend ice cream was the favorite of the bunch. (That might’ve had something to do with the fact that many testers were cookies ‘n’ cream fans – after all, it’s the 8th most popular flavor in the U.S.)

Its right amount of sweetness, richness and a lack of aftertaste won rounds of applause, especially in light of its healthier profile. “This doesn’t taste fat-free, sugar-free or whatever-free!”

On the downside, texture was one bone the staff picked at. “Foamy,” “like Silly Putty” and too-small cookie bits were just a few of the complaints about this Dreyer’s concoction.

One tester had a complaint – and name change suggestion: “Where are the cookie chunks?! They should call it ‘Cookie-Crumbs and Cream.’”

We had to give bonus points for this one, too, because it contains live and active cultures, which promote healthy digestion.Do You Have a Sweet Tooth?Do you know the difference between an occasional sugar craving and a sweet tooth? Find out with our quiz.